This invention relates in general to fishing and more particularly to a live well for holding fish and bait.
Those who participate in the sport of fishing desire to keep their catches alive as long as possible so as to have fresh fish for whatever meals derive from their efforts. One very basic device for achieving this end is the simple stringer, which is nothing more than a small rope that is passed through the mouth and out one of the gills of each fish which is to be retained. Once a stringer is emplaced, the fish retained by it are placed back in the water where they will most likely survive, yet cannot swim away.
Even so, the trauma of the catch coupled with the placement of a stringer is on occasion so stressful that some fish do not survive. Some fish furthermore struggle to become free of the stringer and are fatally injured by those efforts. Moreover, the stringer renders the fish more or less immobile, so they cannot escape predators such as turtles.
Many fisherman prefer to keep their catches in so-called live wells. In this regard, some fishing boats are provided with tanks built into their hulls for holding fish, but these tanks add considerably to the cost of the boats in which they are located and require auxiliary appliances such as air pumps to aerate the water within them and water pumps to elevate water into them. Moreover, these tanks occupy considerable space irrespective of whether or not they are in use. Some are also quite difficult to fill and drain. Aside from that they have no provision for separating the catches of different fishermen which is desirable in many instances and mandatory in some states. They also have no provisions for separating the fish from bait such as minnows. Indeed, such bait must be kept in a separate container such as a minnow bucket.